You know that saying “It’s always five o’clock somewhere?” Well, this week it’s Friday everyday! We’re bringing you five days of Friday to showcase the amazing events taking place this (and every) Friday Night at the de Young through November 23.

Throughout art history, the muse has played a central role in the artist’s process. The modern art muse has found its most frequent embodiment in women, from Victorine Muerent to Camille Claudel to Kiki de Montparnasse to Marie-Therese Walter (and the numerous other women portrayed by Picasso). Female muses have been both model and artistic catalyst to their typically more famous male collaborators, even though their own creative production is often considered of equal value. Lee Miller, one of the subjects of the special exhibition Man Ray | Lee Miller: Partners in Surrealism (on view at the Legion of Honor through October 14), has long been pigeonholed as Man Ray’s muse. But, as this exhibition reveals, Miller’s relationship with Man Ray was only the beginning of her journey from muse to master.

In 1972, Chuck Close came to Oakland’s
Crown Point Press with the express goal of mastering the art of printmaking. The
special exhibition currently on view in the Anderson Gallery at the de Young Museum,
Chuck Close and Crown Point Press: Prints and Processes, examines this groundbreaking period in the artist’s career. In an earlier post, we discussed the mezzotint print
Keith in the context of its 40th anniversary. Today, we take a closer look at Chuck Close’s
Self-Portrait, completed in 1977.

Artist-in-Residence Tamar
Assaf creates artwork articulating subtle social and ecological commentary on the environment. Her work raises awareness
of the human influence on animals in the wild and how entire ecosystems function as a delicate balance of interdependencies.
Throughout the month of August, Assaf invites visitors to engage in hands-on activities at the de Young as they experience
her creative process of research, preparation, creation, and presentation of artwork. Today, Assaf takes us inside her
artistic process.

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FAMSF Blog

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Blog provides the latest news and views on exhibitions, programs, collections, and behind-the-scenes happenings at San Francisco's de Young and Legion of Honor museums.